The use of polyacetylenic compounds for time temperature history indicators is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,946 and 4,189,399 wherein one or more polyacetylenic compounds such as 2,4-hexadiyn-1,6-bisphenylurethane is coated onto a substrate and thermally annealed at various temperatures. After a period that varies with temperature, a color developed (blue for the above compound, red for other compounds) and eventually the color changed to metallic, at least under gamma ray exposure.
While the above compounds are useful in determining whether or not a fixed amount of time-temperature exposure (or certain radiation exposure) has occurred, they either do not undergo a color change or undergo only one color change, e.g. red to metallic green. Compounds undergoing more than one color change would be desirable to measure variable amounts of exposure.
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates a background color preferably of a differently basic color type than that found on acetylenic polymerization (e.g. yellow when polymerization produces a blue or red color). With this background color variable degrees of polymerizations become visibly detectable.